WeWork's Creator Awards, in partnership with our friends at Sofar Sounds, is looking for innovative musical performers (solo or groups) based in the Los Angeles area. The initiative rewards acts that merge creativity and imagination with compelling performances, and it's open to all genres (including performance arts, let your acting friends know about it!).

The winners will be rewarded with a cash prize between $18K and $72K, and will also secure a paid gig at the Creator Awards San Francisco event on May 10.

Applying for a Creator Award only takes a few minutes, you can start the process here.

WeWork's Creator Awards, in partnership with our friends at Sofar Sounds, is looking for innovative musical performers (solo or groups) based in the SF Bay Area. The initiative rewards acts that merge creativity and imagination with compelling performances, and it's open to all genres (including performance arts, let your acting friends know about it!).

The winners will be rewarded with a cash prize between $18K and $72K, and will also secure a paid gig at the Creator Awards San Francisco event on May 10.

Applying for a Creator Award only takes a few minutes, you can start the process here.

The ethos of SXSW has always been about the band/artist who has yet to be discovered. However with the all of the noise surrounding the fest and the deluge of music that seemingly has no end - it can be extremely difficult keeping your head above water and actually discover new music. Here is a tasting board of some bands/artists that you may not recognize, but their sound proves them to be worth your while.

United Ghosts:

Los Angeles band United Ghosts blends a seemingly dizzying collection of influences (Dreampop, Psychedelia, Electronica, Krautrock) into a cohesive, hypnotic sound that celebrates its influences, while keeping one eye firmly set towards the future.

U.S. Girls:

This year marks a significant anniversary for U.S. Girls, the protean musical enterprise of multi-disciplinary artist, Meg Remy. 10 years ago Remy first used a 4-track recorder and a microphone to self-produce a series of spontaneous, starkly musical, ‘instant expressions’.

Thandi Phoenix:

At just 24, the Sydney singer-songwriter has been touted as "one of Australia's most promising up and comers" (The AU Review), with songs that blend pop with electronica and raw, honest storytelling.

Mnkybsnss:

MNKYBSNSS is an electronic music duo conformed by Mono Urina and Kike Vélez, from Barranquilla, Colombia. The group originated in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the year 2013, where both members were studying music and music production.

Altre Di B:

Since 2005 Altre di B has played hundreds of gigs all over Europe, carrying around a lively and energetic sound inspired by bands such as TV on the Radio and the Vines.

Draper:

After the release of his second EP, Draper acquired many high-profile remixes, including Twin Atlantic, Passion Pit and Ellie Goulding. His remix for Goulding appeared on her Tesco exclusive edition of her album Halcyon.[7] After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a 1st class honours degree in Media Technology, Draper was invited to DJ for Rita Ora at the Capital Summertime Ball 2012.

Bbymutha:

BbyMutha’s gaining a foothold in the rap game alongside many other female artists thanks to a raw honesty, a refusal to be anyone but herself. Others try to box her in as the mom of rap, but she won’t become a gimmick, putting the totality of her life on display – an attitude which extends equally to the production that she chooses. The hyperactive retro house of “Beautiful Ratchet” and the gritty, smoldering “Rules” that just went viral on Twitter recently, manage to feel united despite their vast differences, her laconic flow and smirking charm tieing everything together.

Champagne Superchillin:

Let the bubbles take control! That was the lyrical takeaway (sung in French, subtitled in English) from the music video announcing Champagne Superchillin’s first album, Destino. The album is an invitation to an artsy cult with champagne and vibey dance parties instead of Kool-aid and total bummers. Let the bubbles take control... seriously.

Bambara:

Bambara is a Brooklyn-based dark, noise/punk band with a Western slant. The trio, consisting of twin brothers Reid and Blaze Bateh and childhood friend William Brookshire, formed in Athens, GA. Their 3rd LP SHADOW ON EVERYTHING, Bambara's first release on Wharf Cat Records, comes out on April 6th.

DUCKWRTH:

In 2016, DUCKWRTH took the energy he developed in New York back to Los Angeles where he created and released his critically acclaimed debut LP, I’M UUGLY. IM UUGLY was a project that merged the most unique parts of DUCKWRTH’s personality and talents to create a sound and visual palette that indicated he had not only grown as an artist but well on his way to being a music icon and visionary for his generation.

Totally Mild:

Melbourne’s Totally Mild write songs that are lush and luxurious, polished to sparkle. Her, the band’s highly-anticipated sophomore album, is full of narrative heart, but with a Stepford sheen. Teasing out a thematic tension between the loving and the lacklustre, the domestic and the deluxe, vocalist/guitarist and songwriter Elizabeth Mitchell’s voice is crystal clear.

Otzeki:

Mike Sharp and Joel Roberts are East Anglia-bred, London-based duo Otzeki, part of the burgeoning electronic/rock/pop genre sweeping Britain at the moment. The pair initially turned heads with their 2016 debut EP Falling Out, featuring the uber-catchy “Hope in Hell,” successfully combining vocals oozing beautiful desolation with a driving beat. Singles such as “True Love” and “All This Time” and EP Sun is Rising followed, showing their aptitude in fusing irrepressible electronic beats, R&B infused vocals, and alt-rock guitar into something truly intriguing.

Great Good Fine OK:

Brooklyn synthpop duo Great Good Fine OK met one evening in 2013 and by the next morning had written their first song together, “You’re the One for Me,” a gauzy, heart-thumping anthem that hit #1 on Hype Machine twice in one month and instantly established the group’s sound with Jon Sandler’s dancefloor falsetto soaring over Luke Moellman’s lush post-Space Age production, the perfect soundtrack for retrofuturism.

Wake Island:

Wake Island is a Montreal electronic duo, deftly manoeuvring between genres, crafting songs that mix minimal techno beats with 90s rock/pop influences. The band is comprised of Philippe Manasseh and Nadim Maghzal, both Lebanese immigrants who met while studying in Montreal in the early 2000s.

Hot flash Heat Wave:

San Francisco rock quartet Hot Flash Heat Wave rose to prominence in the Bay Area music scene in 2015. Their versatile sound, at times reminiscent of golden 60s, power pop, dream pop, post-punk and indie rock, demonstrates a dynamic range of songwriting prowess centered around consistently infectious, sun-soaked melodies and guitar hooks.

On new single “Think of the Children,” Kodacrome make a dreamy home out of minimalist electronica. Building over a house beat, Elissa LeCoque slowly emotes with a determined bassline and waves of ambient synth flourishes providing support. LeCoque and musical partner Ryan Casey clearly have a careful ear for sound, choosing only vital elements that accentuate the beat established at the song’s beginning. “Think of the Children” is the title track from the synth duo’s new album, due April 1st, and their first release since 2016. Stream “Think of the Children” below. – Cameron Carr

The Deli Magazine was born in NYC's Attorney Street in 2004, in the shape of a print issue with a then unknown band on its cover, called Grizzly Bear. Ths NYC blog came in 2005, then the SF one in 2006, and then 9 more in the following years. The Deli is focused on the coverage of emerging bands and solo artists with a 100% local focus - no exceptions!